Do You Hear The (Mer)People Sing?
by Hanna-NotMontana
Summary: The merpeople have always been out there, singing in the night. They took John's whole family. And now the merman with the silver eyes is hunting John's dreams. Merman!Sherlock AU Oneshot. Characters most likely OOC a bit, but it's an AU. Based on a drawing called "Wake up" by Jazzie560 on tumblr.


_Don't play near the water when it gets dark outside._

This is the first rule every child learns, from birth on, and it's the one rule they think of daily, when the sun starts setting.

If you're still out when the moon is rising, you're basically dead. Because when the moonlight reflects on the black sea, they rise.

Beautiful, not so beautiful, downright ugly – they look just like humans. Except for the fish tail. And the shark teeth. But when they start to sing, you don't care how they look. Whether they're male or female, beautiful or ugly. Because when they sing, you follow.

You follow the eerie voices into the cold water, and you never come back.

In some way, they are almost nice – they don't make a difference in gender, age, colour of skin or sexual orientation. They simply sing and take whoever follows.

X

John is five when they take his dad.

And 12 when they take his mum.

When he is 18, his older sister Harriet disappears, but she shows up again the next morning, completely soaked and out of her mind, though still alive. Never the same, though. Drinking, to forget about what she experienced. Not that she tells anyone. She hardly speaks of the night. All she does is take in the alcohol that makes her forget, as if filling her body with that liquid can somehow equal the sea water that she had been lured into. As if she wants to dissolve herself.

At the age of twenty, John has to let go of her too, and her dead body, burning brightly from the alcohol that has soaked in every cell and killed her in the end, slowly drifts away on the sea.

Not two days later, John leaves the village.

X

It is easy to forget the merpeople in the big city. Becoming a doctor distracts him from his losses.

Joining the army is his choice, readily made.

In the heat of the desert, with no water around for miles and miles, it is even easier to forget about the merpeople. It is not less deadly, though, how John realizes as his blood colours the sand beneath him red, pools of rubies under his back, and his eyes stare blindly into the sun.

He survives, though, a cruel joke, because now he is crippled and – oh, the irony – send back to the coast. Sea air is beneficial for his health, the doctors say. And if he's got connections to a small village by the sea, that's even better! There will be people he knows!

The doctors don't know about merpeople, though. John goes back nevertheless. It's not like he is of any use in the army or a hospital in the city, being the cripple he is.

X

The small house that belonged to his parents, then Harry, and now him still looks the same and he stays inside for a whole of three minutes before it gets too much and he grabs his cane again and makes his way outside, down to the beach. It's safe there, in the morning sun, and he sits down at a secluded area – he doesn't want to talk to the other villagers – to think. And breathe in the sea air.

_It's good for his health, after all._

When he looks up the next time, the sun is slowly setting.

With a bit of panic, he realizes that he's sat in the sand all day, and he still has to make his way back to the house before the night falls.

He hoists himself up, heavily leaning on his cane. Lets his gaze roam over the soft waves. Turns to leave- and stops.

Because from between some stones in the shallow water, two silver eyes stare at him.

He closes his eyes for a moment, half-wishing, half-dreading that it's just an hallucination, but when he opens them again, the eyes are still there. Framed by dark, wet curls that dangle into a pale forehead. The tip of the nose and the rest of the face and body are hidden in the water, but John knows what this is.

Merpeople. Well, a merman, from the looks of it.

He's never seen one before himself, alive, at least. Sometimes, the tide brings in the bodies of their dead; pale creatures, half-human and half-fish. Webbing between their fingers that matches the colour of their fish-tails. There's also webbing on their ears, pointed, fanned ears with a structure like fish bones. And of course the teeth. Not visible when their mouths are closed, but once you open them, two rows of pointed teeth glisten in the sun.

The villagers always put the dead on a boat, send it alight and push it back to the sea, where the creatures come from and where all the dead, human, animal and merpeople, go.

However, this merman is very much alive, and still staring at John.

John wonders what it sees. A human, clearly. A cripple? Easy prey? Does the merman pity him because he won't be able to resist the song, won't be able to run, even if he _could_ resist?

"I'm not afraid," he tells the merman, not sure if the creature can even hear him. Or understand him.

It blinks once. And then it's gone.

X

John is walking as if he's dreaming. He's still alive, not lured into the water, not dead.

He locks the door. Eats. Goes to bed. Falls asleep.

And in the middle of the night, he startles awake, and hears him.

How he knows it's him, he can't say. But John sees silver eyes in his mind, and hears a voice, low and rich. And he wants to find out more about the merman, wants to know things. But he doesn't feel like following the call. He doesn't feel the urge to go outside. And so he listens, and falls asleep to the sound.

X

Greg Lestrade is disappeared the next morning, and his body never shows up, which means he's gone into the water.

John goes down to the beach again, to grief, because he grew up with Greg, because was his friend. He stays in the sand all day, but right when he gets up to leave, he sees him again. Just like before, it's just a pair of eyes over the water surface.

"You took him."

The eyes show no comprehension, no sign of understanding, but they look almost… pained.

"You're a monster."

Definitely pain in those eyes now. John doesn't care. He hurts, too. Feels all the losses of his life. The merman has no right to be hurt.

X

This night, he wakes again. Hears the song. Sees the eyes in his minds. But doesn't leave his bed.

And this is how his life goes on for over six months. He wakes every night. Listens, feels a longing he can't exactly place. Wants to know. To see. To understand.

During his days, he goes to the beach, waits until the merman shows up. And then talks. At first he abuses him, calls him a monster, because the pain of his losses is too big to handle. One day, he breaks down, and falls to his knees and tries to hold back the anger and tears.

Later, he's not sure, but he think he remembers a pale hand, with long, delicate fingers with blue webbing between them, reaching out for him from the water.

After the knot in his soul is somehow dissolved – not completely, but at least it's not as prominent as before – he says different things to the merman. Random things. Like his name. And that he's a doctor. Things of his life. Of his childhood. Of the war.

The merman listens, never shows a sign of understanding, and in the night, he sings to John, and John listens, too.

X

John's heart his thumping madly in his chest when he settles down on the beach that evening.

He can't put down the moment when he'd made this decision. The decision to sit outside that night, to sit by the sea and listen to the merman.

But he feels safe, because he didn't have the urge to walk into his wet grave before, and he thinks he can resist.

The moon rises, it's full and bright and casts a column of light over the black ocean.

And the merman starts to sing.

X

The waves lick on John's ankles already when his head jerks up.

He looks around, disoriented, and through the fog in his mind, he realizes that he's standing in the sea, making his way into the deeper water.

Panic seeps through his mind. He's not strong enough, he can't withstand.

The song has been sad before, but now it feels even sadder if that's possible. Something hot is running down John's cheeks, gets caught on his lips and he darts out his tongue to taste it.

_Salty._ Tears.

They fall into the ocean, salt water mixing with salt water.

And the merman shows up, meters away, eyes drilling themselves into John's – and his eyes are pleading, begging something of John, something the human doesn't understand.

He stumbles forward, completely mesmerized by the song and the merman's eyes and the water reaches up to his knees, to his waist, to his chest.

Then he has to tread it, but he can't for very long. His leg hurts, he's not been swimming in ages, and he gets tired.

And when the burn in his muscles becomes too much, John closes his eyes and lets go.

X

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS NOW! LISTEN TO ME, JOHN, CONCENTRATE, PLEASE!"

John had always thought drowning would be calmer. But now there's a voice screaming at him and it's very unsettling. So much for 'dying in peace'. Also, the song has stopped.

"WAKE UP, PLEASE! YOU NEED TO SWIM!"

He doesn't want to wake up or open his eyes. He's sinking, and there's not much air left in his lungs, and everything is really indifferent to him right now. There's still the voice yelling, though.

"YOU CAN'T DIE, NOT YOU!"

Why not, John asks himself. It's not like there's anyone waiting for him. Then again – now that the merman's song has stopped, the water is less appealing. It's cold in the night, and the burn in his lungs is awful. He needs air- _he fucking needs air!_

John's eyes jerk open – bad idea, in the salt water, really – and a silent scream, and with it the last bit of air from his lungs, escapes him, because there's his merman, right in front of him, and he's angry and pained and _yells at him._

John struggles away, painfully aware that he's going to pass out within the next five seconds and then something gives him a push and he breaks through the surface of the water again, gasping for air. It burns in his lungs, and he inhales and swallows some salt water that is making him gag, but he's treading water again, if painful, and he's still _breathing._

The coast is too far away – how did he get out that far anyways?! – and now the depth of his problem settles in – he's too tired to reach it in time. His muscles will give out any minute now and then he's definitely going to drown. The adrenaline of the shock can only keep him up for so long.

But suddenly, there are strong arms, winding themselves around his body, and before he can even struggle, he shoots forwards, racing closer to the coast, powered by an invisible force.

Except that it's not that invisible, because through the darkness, John can clearly see alabaster skin and bright blue scales.

X

He's almost _tossed_ back on the sand.

He blacks out.

He wakes up in the morning.

He limps home, needs almost an hour for the usual five-minute-walk.

He falls into bed, every muscle burning from the exhaustion of the night. And although it's day and there's no one singing, he dreams of silver eyes. Although this time, they have a face and a body, too.

A rather long face, framed by dark curls that float eerily in the water. A cupid's bow lip. A long neck. A bare chest, where light and shadows dance an elaborate choreography. Hips that connect to a fish tail, long, powerful. Blue scales.

And a voice. A deep, rich voice. Panicked, true, but definitely wonderful.

X

It takes John almost two weeks to recover because he gets a nasty pneumonia from the cold water and the - what seems to be a gazillion liters - water he swallowed.

There's no song during his recovery, and when he is finally feeling better again, the urge to walk down to the beach is too big to resist it.

This time, though, John is prepared, and although he can't hear a song that night, either, he walks into the water confidently, diving goggles and snorkel dangling around his neck. The water is cold, but he doesn't even feel it and when he finally puts the goggles on and his head disappears beneath the waves, the silence that surrounds him is comforting.

X

He hears him before he sees him. It's the same voice that yelled at him, but this time, it's full of wonder instead of panic.

"You came back."

John can't reply, obviously but he nods, hoping the gesture is recognizable under water.

And then something bright is racing at him through the water and John scrambled backwards a bit, but the merman doesn't hit him, simply stops inches away and cocks his head and John thinks it's the most beautiful sight he's ever seen.

He smiles – which probably looks grotesque, seeing as he's got the snorkel in his mouth – but when the merman smiles, too, and shows off his teeth, John's breath gets caught and he tips his head too far, causing water to run down his snorkel.

He comes up to the surface, spluttering, trying to catch his breath and sees the merman talk to him through the water.

However, it's not words, it's the song, the so familiar song, and the urge to stick his head underwater becomes overbearing again, so John follows it.

"-need to keep breathing, please, John!"

John's not sure what's going on, but then two strong hands with webbing between the fingers grip his head and the mouthpiece of the snorkel is pushed between his lips again and he thankfully takes in a breath, his mind clearing as he stares at the merman in wonder.

When the creature smiles in relief this time and the sharp teeth are visible, John doesn't back away.

X

His name – it's a male, John was right all along – is Sherlock.

And communication is hard. As soon as John sticks his head out of the water to answer, the merman's words turn into the beckoning song, urging John to drown himself again. John, however, can't reply underwater, obviously. So every time he wants to answer, he has to pop his head out of the water and Sherlock can't reply until John is finished talking and safely back under water, where the merman's words make sense again.

Another problem is the water temperature. John gets cold after a good ten minutes and if he doesn't get out after half an hour, he risks getting seriously ill.

X

John starts sleeping during the day, because he can only talk with Sherlock in the night.

And these conversations turn his whole world upside down.

He learns, understands.

Learns that the merpeople know about their effect on humans, and only start talking in the night, when they hope that most humans are safely locked away in their houses. They don't want them to follow their call, they don't want to drown them, and they certainly don't eat them.

Sherlock gets angry sometimes, frustrated, because no one understands this.

They are not monsters.

It's a cruel joke of nature, their siren voices, and John is astonished when he realizes how much the merpeople have changed their lives, have adapted, in order _to save_ the humans from the effect of their voices.

X

Sherlock admits that he is responsible for many of the villagers' deaths, including John's parents and Lestrade. He also met Harry, and she was the only one he could startle awake again, could startle enough to start breathing again.

John is not sure how he feels about that information, but now he knows why Harry never talked about it, why she went mad. It's almost too much for him to comprehend and she's always been a bit instable.

He needs a break after realizing that Sherlock – if unintentionally – killed his parents and friend, but after a week or so, he comes back, and he can see the relief on the merman's face.

X

One time, on the urge of Sherlock, he manages to rent a small boat and professional diving gear, and Sherlock takes him deep down the sea.

It's where the merpeople bury all those they lured into the sea, it's a gigantic cave with tomb-like constructions inside and it's beautiful, with ornaments and engravings, and John, returning to the nightly beach the next day the usual way, hugs Sherlock tightly and thanks him for showing him all that.

X

Summer turns to autumn, and John and Sherlock fall in love. Neither of them admits it, because John is not gay and Sherlock doesn't care about emotions.

Then winter comes, and it's simply too cold for John to come to the water.

He hears Sherlock sing – or, well, talk to him, although he can't make out the words – every night.

X

Spring comes around, and it's probably still too cold to go into the water, especially at night, but John does so nevertheless and when Sherlock appears in front of him, he doesn't hesitate but tells him he loves him.

Of course, John's head is above the surface to do that, and Sherlock, as always when he listens, has only his eyes and half of his nose peeking out, but when he hears the words, his eyes go wide and with a choke (that still sounds melodic and makes John want to drown himself just the tiniest bit) he hoists himself out of the water a bit further, and carefully plants a wet kiss on John's lips.

X

Of course John gets sick after that night. It was simply too early in the year to go swimming in the sea, but this time around, it's bearable, because Sherlock's song is animated and he can almost _hear_ him smile while he fights the fever.

John doesn't want to drown himself anymore.

* * *

_Hiya! This is just a little something I thought of a few days ago. _  
_Hope you enjoyed this, and I know the characters are a bit OOC, but in this world, they have to be like this. I suppose you could always replace them with any two fictional characters._  
_Love, Hanna_


End file.
